Kenya’s scouting laws face overhaul: Kiarie leads push to align movement with devolved governance
The Mt Kenya Times 
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga shakes hand with and Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie
Parliament moves to reform a legal framework untouched since 1963 as Nyeri positions itself as a global hub for scouting.
By John Kariuki
Kenya’s parliamentary scouting body is pressing for a sweeping overhaul of the country’s scouting legislation, with World Scout Parliamentary Union Global President and Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie warning that laws governing the movement have been overtaken by more than six decades of constitutional and governance change.
Kiarie, who also chairs the Parliamentary ICT Committee, yesterday called for urgent reforms to align scouting’s legal framework with the 2010 Constitution and the realities of devolved government, arguing that a statute dating to 1963 cannot adequately serve a movement that now operates within a country of 47 county governments.
“We must take it upon ourselves to bring the laws of this scouting movement up to date,” Kiarie said, speaking at the formal commissioning of the newly gazetted board of the World Scout Parliamentary Union in Nyeri. He challenged newly appointed board members to move beyond their formal appointment and translate their mandate into concrete reforms that strengthen scouting across the country.
Parliament, Kiarie said, is the natural starting point for any effort to reform scouting because laws, policies and public funding all flow from the legislative process. He said young scouts in schools need champions in Parliament — legislators who can ensure that scouting’s interests are reflected in national legislation and secured in annual budgets.
The parliamentary union, he added, serves as a critical bridge between the Kenya Scouts Association and lawmakers who can directly influence the financial and policy environment in which scouting operates.
Kenya Scouts Association Executive Director Poppins Misoi said strengthening scouting requires deeper collaboration among Parliament, county governments, the association itself, and other institutions working in youth development. He said the newly constituted board offers a platform to build partnerships that convert scouting’s founding ideals into practical programmes with lasting institutional backing.
Leaders at the commissioning described scouting as far more than an extracurricular activity. Introduced primarily through the school system, the movement provides what they called a structured environment for nurturing discipline, leadership, teamwork, loyalty and responsible citizenship. They called on both Parliament and county governments to create an enabling environment for scouting through legislation, policy and budgetary support.
Association President and board chairperson Tabitha Mutinda pressed those entrusted with leadership positions within the movement to hold themselves to a high standard. “Those who lead the younger generation must set the bar very high,” Mutinda said, stressing that young people look to adult leaders for guidance and inspiration.
The event also renewed calls for Nyeri County to fully embrace its singular status in global scouting history as the home and final resting place of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the scouting movement, and his wife, Lady Olive Baden-Powell. Leaders said Kenya’s historical connection to scouting gives the country a particular responsibility to preserve and actively promote the movement’s founding ideals.
Nyeri Governor Edward Kahiga pledged his county government’s full cooperation with the parliamentary union, saying Nyeri would continue working with the WSPU beyond any single leadership cycle. “Let us uphold the tenets and beliefs that were bequeathed to us by our founder and ensure that we uplift the name of Lord Baden-Powell through our actions,” Kahiga said.
The leaders argued that Nyeri holds real potential to become a global hub for scouting — a county capable of leveraging its unique historical ties to attract international scouting institutions, events and visitors. They noted that the global scouting community is watching Kenya, and challenged Nyeri to step into a more prominent international role.
The WSPU board also disclosed that it had recently held engagements with counterparts in South Korea, where discussions centred on strengthening parliamentary support for scouting and identifying opportunities for international cooperation. Those engagements, leaders said, underscored both the global reach of parliamentary scouting networks and Kenya’s potential role within them.
One of the board’s new executive members, Job Mukoyandali of the Bungoma County Assembly, recalled joining the Scouts in 1992 and said he could not have imagined then that the journey would eventually lead to a leadership position within the WSPU. A Wood Badge holder, Mukoyandali pledged to take the board’s mandate on the road, engaging county assemblies across the country to embed scouting more firmly in local legislation and practice.
“We are going to be selfless. We are going to go out and work. We are not just going to sit here and pass time,” he said.
The newly gazetted board is constituted with Mutinda as chairperson. Members are Kiarie, Dorice Aburi, Wilberforce Ojiambo, Pamela Njoki, Innocent Mugabe, Jackson Mandago, Kahiga, Mukoyandali and Evalyne Tirop, alongside the Principal Secretaries for Devolution, Youth Affairs, the National Treasury, and Basic Education. Misoi serves as secretary.
With Kenya’s deep historical ties to the movement and a newly constituted board carrying a clear mandate for reform, the WSPU leadership said the country has both the opportunity and the responsibility to provide stronger parliamentary backing for scouting — and to place Nyeri firmly at the centre of the global scouting story.
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